Under pressure cleaners spend less than an hour vacuuming
Electrolux questioned some 28,000 people from 23 countries for its Global Vacuuming Survey for 2013, and found that some 89 per cent of people dive headlong into the task for less than an hour, while 43 per cent of this group said they want it all done in less than 30 minutes.
Around the world, only 11 per cent will work at vacuuming for more than an hour. However, for those in Brazil and Portugal, clearly the show must go on, with 22 per cent and 20 per cent respectively vacuuming for more than an hour at any one time.
It’s the Koreans who are the champions of the world when it comes to the desire for cleanliness, however, with some 29 per cent vacuuming their homes every day.
Many Koreans also carry out the task more than this, with 11 per cent saying they will vacuum several times every day, compared to a global average of just three per cent who said this is the case for them.
Most of us apparently want to avoid a scandal with the neighbours as well, with only nine per cent of people around the world vacuuming in the evening when they might disturb others.
For 38 per cent of people, the morning is the most common time to vacuum and 28 per cent will regularly spend their afternoons carrying out the task.
And while most of us remain fully clothed when we are giving our home the quick once over, some take a different approach. Some four per cent will flash a bit of flesh by vacuuming in just their underwear, while two per cent tackle the job with nothing on at all!
Source: nviro.co.uk
Kärcher Acquires Italian Sweeper Manufacturer Isal
Kärcher announced it has acquired Italian sweeping machine manufacturer and metal component producer ISAL, based in Corregio, Italy.
Kärcher says the two companies have been working together for over 10 years in the development of industrial sweepers. Following a bereavement in Isal’s owner family, it stepped in to acquire a 100 percent stake. Isal will continue to run as an independent business at its current location.
“Our many years of cooperation with Isal have been marked by great mutual appreciation and respect,” said chief executive officer and chairman of the management board Hartmut Jenner. “By taking this strategic decision we are raising the bar of our competence in sweeping machine production still higher, and creating a solid foundation for long-term growth. The corporate culture of ISAL as an innovative family-run firm also fits in with us very well.”
According to a press release on Isal’s coporate website, the manufacturer will continue to run as an independent company without any loss of jobs.
The Cleaning Products Europe conference
The organisers of the Cleaning Products Europe conference in the UK from March 25-27 have announced details of the programme. It features speakers from all levels of the supply chain from household and I&I cleaning products manufacturers to chemical suppliers and regulatory bodies to retail representatives.
The agenda focuses on offering an overview of forthcoming developments set to impact or disrupt the industry. Featuring perspectives from external stakeholders, the conference will begin by setting the mutual vision for the industry, including presentations from the European Commission, DG Environment, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and WWF.
Unilever and P&G will co-chair the conference and give their insights on sanitisation and hygiene consumer benefits, regulatory and safety considerations and sustainable consumer behaviour. The machinery sector, I&I sector and textile industry will also be present to provide updates on their sectors’ trends and opportunities.
Speakers from the I&I sector include Dr Ilham Kadri of Sealed Air Diversey Care and Valerie Fotheringham of Evans Vanodine.
ASHE Announces 2014 Vista Award Winners
ASHE (the American Society for Healthcare Engineering) announced its Vista Award winners in Texas, Colorado, and Georgia, who used teamwork to overcome challenges in three hospital projects. The prestigious awards recognize the importance of working together to optimize the health care physical environment.
The winners of the 2014 Vista Awards are the teams involved with constructing a new tower expansion at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston; the renovation of the Penrose Hospital Emergency Department in Colorado Springs, Colo.; and the operating suite HVAC upgrade project at the South Georgia Medical Center in Valdosta, Ga. The teams won in the categories of new construction, renovation, and infrastructure, respectively.
ASHE will present the awards to the winning teams at the International Summit & Exhibition on Health Facility Planning, Design & Construction held March 16-19 in Orlando, Fla.
Since 1993 the American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) of the American Hospital Association (AHA) has provided professionals with an opportunity to gain national recognition for their design and construction initiatives through the Vista Awards program.
Green Cleaning Points Shrink With LEED v4 Updates
When comparing LEED 2009 to the new v4, one will notice that overall, green cleaning lost a point.
“The USGBC keeps trying to put the points on the areas with the biggest impact, and if you look at the rating system, more than half of the points are for energy-efficiency and energy-use,” says Mike Arny, president and director of LEED services, Leonardo Academy, Madison, Wis. “With so many points focused on energy, that just means everything else has to fight for the remaining points.”
While the loss of a point is unfortunate, it’s more important to realize that green cleaning is still required. The prerequisite that was added in 2009 remains and mandates that custodial departments have a green cleaning policy covering the use of green certified products and equipment, chemical storage and staffing contingency plans.
“LEED still highlights green cleaning and I would encourage people not to get wrapped up in the change in points,” says Arny. “From my point of view, once something is on the map with LEED, that really drives changed behavior in the marketplace. Whether there is one more or one less point, it won’t have much impact.”
Under LEED 2009, buildings earned one point by complying with IEQ Credit 3.1: Green Cleaning – High Performance Cleaning Program. This credit was the formation of the green cleaning program that adhered to the required policy. With v4, this credit has been rolled into the prerequisite; cleaning personnel still have to carry out a green cleaning policy with their program, but they no longer receive a point for doing so.
In addition, the prerequisite has been expanded to cover additional chemical products. Green programs should now include less toxic laundry and warewashing chemicals. The prerequisite also stresses appropriate selection and use of disinfectants. This means following manufacturers’ usage instructions and adhering to dwell times, but it also implies the product should only be used when needed.
“The concern is that disinfectants are being used in areas and applications that are unnecessary and could have harmful health and environmental impacts,” says Ashkin. “To minimize the misuse or overuse of disinfectants, they should be applied correctly and appropriately, only when and where necessary, to protect human health.”
LEED v4 now offers a “shortcut” to meeting the prerequisite. A second option for cleaning providers is to earn a third-party certification, either Green Seal’s GS-42 or ISSA’s CIMS-GB. However, it’s important to note that the building going for LEED certification must have been audited by the third-party within the last 12 months.
“If the cleaning department already has certification, it definitely is a simpler process; all the paperwork and documentation has been done,” says Ashkin. “The USGBC is trying to make it easier for buildings to go through the process. That is one of the specific intentions of including things like CIMS-GB and GS-42.”
As previously mentioned, LEED v4’s intention is to protect water resources, as well as reverse climate change. That’s why, despite whichever option cleaning managers choose to earn the prerequisite, their program should include strategies that conserve energy, water and chemicals. This could include day cleaning, cold-water carpet extraction, use of microfiber mops, or electrically activated water, says Ashkin.
Source: cleanlink.com (written by Dan Weltin)
Clean India Pulire 2013: Exceeding Expectation
The three-day Clean India Pulire 2013 (December, 5-7) recorded 99% of exhibitors and visitors saying “it’s an excellent show and best”. At the sprawling MMRDA Grounds of Bandra-Kurla Complex over 5000 visitors from across India and other countries including Denmark, France, Middle East, Germany, Italy, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, the UK, Switzerland and other countries commented on the fantastic products and services showcased by both indigenous and international manufacturers.
Not only did Clean India Pulire attract visitors from newer segments but also set records of 42 new exhibitors, new product categories, new pavilions and above all a record launch of 65 new products during the Show.
More than 80% of the exhibitors concluded top transactions within the first two days of the Show itself with day two registering the uptick in the number of visitors on a single day at this Show. Exhibitors shared their experience on the turnaround of quality trade visitors and end users from over 20 business sectors.
COut of the sample of 160 visitors their opinions about the show, 136 people, including international visitors, said CIP showcased everything required for cleanliness/hygiene under one roof. International visitors agreed that people from all over the world must come to CIP shows (in future) as they can make inroads into the Indian market and source their supplies under one roof.
The sample included visitors from housekeeping& FM companies, manufacturing industries, schools, hospitals, hotels, civic bodies, banks, industrial houses, laundry services and others. Food companies showed great interest in the engineering and cleanliness products while representatives from Public Sector Undertakings including ONGC, Indian Railways and Fertilizer Corporation of India found the equipment showcased useful.
About 99% of visitors found the right solutions at the show with several placing orders for its requirements on the spot.
Nearly 18% of the visitors of the sample survey conducted said they made tie ups with different companies.
Many of the trade visitors in the sample survey showed interest in taking up stall at the next Clean India Show to be held at Ahmedabad, Gujarat, from November 27 to 29.
Hot water is ‘unnecessary and wasteful’ for hand washing
How many of us immediately reach for the hot tap after using the toilet or emptying the bin? Apparently we’ve been washing our hands in the wrong way! Using hot water is unnecessary and harmful to the environment, according to a new study.
Almost 70 per cent of us believe that hot water is more effective than cold or warm water, despite there being no actual evidence that backs this up.
Amanda Carrico, research assistant professor at Tennessee’s Vanderbilt Institute for Energy and Environment University, told The European Cleaning Journal (ECJ): “It is certainly true that heat kills bacteria, but if you were to use hot water to kill them it would have to be way too hot for you to tolerate.”
Ms Carrico explains that pathogens can only be killed by water at temperatures of 99°C and above, but the water we use to wash our hands never gets over 55°C. The sustained heat required to kill some germs would scald the skin.
Her research team found that water as cold as 4.4°C is just as effective at reducing bacteria as hot water if hands are scrubbed, rinsed and dried properly. They also discovered that hot water can actually have an adverse effect on hygiene.
“Warmer water can irritate the skin and affect the protective layer on the outside, which can cause it to be less resistant to bacteria,” added Ms Carrico.
The study concluded that washing hands using hot water is unnecessary and wasteful. It may seem like a trivial issue next time you visit the bathroom, but the water wasted really adds up.
Nearly 800 billion hand washes are performed each year by just Americans, which is equivalent to six million metric tonnes of CO2 emissions annually!
Ms Carrico thinks that a water temperature should be specified in official guidelines from the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organisation, which currently only recommend using soap and water and scrubbing vigorously for at least 20 seconds followed by a thorough dry.
Source: nviro.co.uk
The Wellbeing Toilet
The World Toilet Day (November 19th 2013 ), created to draw attention to the lack of sanitation in the developing world, a trio of design graduates decided to flush away the old concept for the lavatory and create something new. They invented the Wellbeing Toilet.
According to the designers, today’s toilets could be detrimental to health as they force people to sit completely upright, at 90-degree angle.The Wellbeing Toilet has been designed to be used at an angle that is somewhere between sitting and squatting, which is believed to reduce colon and bowel problems.
Mr Sheard, one of the designers, said: “The angle increases the risk of colon diseases and bowel-related illnesses.
“Ideally you should squat but there are negative social connotations because we’re used to sitting down on a toilet.”
The Wellbeing Toilet has been built with the aim of improving a user’s posture while they are perched on the loo. It can also analyse urine to test for pregnancies, among other things.
Mr Sheard added: “It’s what you’d get if you go to the doctor and they check for diabetes, kidney disease or phosphates in the urine.”
The designers believe that their toilet can have a positive impact on society as the industries that are connected to pregnancy tests have huge financial and environmental costs.
This super toilet is still just a concept, but the design team believe that the technology is completely viable.
The Classics by Packing90
Packing90 was founded in 1990 and operates in the field of guest amenities for hotels and the community. It owes its fame especially to the Hygiene Bag, a sanitary bags dispenser covered by European patent.
The three dispenser Hygienic Bag, Cosmetic Box and Cube Cosmetic here in their classic version, the chrome.
100% eco compatible
Bio Tech is an innovative active toilet paper, the first complete product that cleans the pipes and septic tank.
– Avoids blockages. No mechanical operation. Makes routine cleaning easier. Toilets are more hygienic.
– Eliminates purging operations. Keeps pipes and septic tanks clean. Savings on maintenance costs.
– Safeguards the enviroment. Cleaner waste water. Completely biodegradable.
– Dermatologically tested Does not irritate the skin. Safe to use on intimate and mucous parts of the body. Absolutely safe.
Password: flexibility
WM System is an LTD, based in Reggio Emilia, Italy, which began manufacturing loading ramps for commercial vehicles in 1991.
Thanks to the flexibility of our products and our experienced technicians, WM System LTD is now able to offer a complete range of loading ramps for commercial vehicles, making the commercial vehicle as practical as possible.
The use of WM ramps reduces time in loading and unloading materials, decreasing consequently costs and efforts. WM ramps allow one single operator on his own and safely, to complete any loading operations for any load on wheels.
WM System loading ramps have been TÜV NORD certified since 1996. All WM System loading ramps are completely made in Italy, with materials from Italian supply chain. WM System ensures that each production process meets the highest standards, this makes WM System leader in the specific niche of market.
